


Addictive

by Azdaema



Category: The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: Drug Withdrawal, Extended Metaphors, Fenris 2.0, Kick (Mavel), platonic if you squint, set between Season 1 and Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24483421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azdaema/pseuds/Azdaema
Summary: Someone describes to Lauren what kick feels like.
Relationships: Andy Strucker/Lauren Strucker
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	Addictive

The girl’s name is Ellie, and she’s only a few years older than Lauren herself. Mom examines her—takes her blood pressure, shines a bright light in her eyes—and declares that her COWS score is 29. Kick is not an opiate, so this doesn’t really count as Clinical Opiate Withdrawal, but it’s still a useful metric.

Mom instructs Lauren to sit by Ellie’s side and monitor her. The girl is restless and in pain, unable to lie still on her cot. Mom says this is to be expected, and quietly tells Lauren to call her back if Ellie starts spasming.

The clinic isn’t really particularly busy or understaffed today, but Mom must think this is a teachable moment; a chance to instill in her daughter the dangers of drugs and scare her straight for life. What other possible reason is there for having Lauren sit here, holding back a stranger’s hair as she throws up for the second time since arriving?

Once Ellie’s rinsed out her mouth and is as settled as she can be back on the cot, something—anger at her mother for subjecting her to this? morbid curiosity?—propels Lauren to covertly ask, “So what’s it like?”

“It’s about as miserable as it looks,” Ellie gripes.

“No, not withdrawal—kick.”

Ellie considers the question for a long moment before replying, “It’s like drinking the sun.”

What was there to say to that?

“I’ve done psychedelics, I’ve done cocaine. Nothing— _nothing_ —compares. It electrifies your powers; everything is _so bright_. You know what they say about people only using 30% of our brains? It’s like you were only using 30% of your powers, and can suddenly access the rest.” There’s fondness and longing in Ellie’s voice, and she doesn’t try to hide it. “The only visual with kick is being able to see my powers. Some people’s powers you can see all the time, but me, I just float. On kick, I’m in this nest of floating, glowing tendrils, and _that—_ ” She breaks off, at a loss for words. “Cause it’s _real_ , y’know? It’s not like _hallucinations_ , it’s more like synesthesia. You’re not seeing things that _aren’t there_. It _is_ real, and now you can _see_ it.” She wraps her arms around herself. “I’ve never felt more powerful. It’s like nothing else,” she concludes. “You can’t even imagine.”

And Lauren nods, a voice in her head saying this sounded quite a bit like something else, and imaging it. The voice sounded like Andy’s.


End file.
